Horse Feeding and Management

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Horse Feeding and Management
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Feeds

• Hay and Legumes
• Concentrates
• Grains, proteins source, vitamin and minerals
• Typically purchased as pre-mixes
• Larger-scale horse breeders may mix their own
  feed
• Cracking or rolling grains is not necessary
• Horses do not chew their cud

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Feeds

• Horses are commonly overfed
• Use BCS to monitor health/cover of the horse

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Nutritional Needs

• Young Foals
• Adequate feed is needed for proper growth
• Important ingredients

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Nutritional Needs

• Gestation
• Do not want a pregnant mare to have a BCS below
• First 8 mo.
• Perform well on pasture and a small amount of
  supplemented grain
• Last trimester
• Additional concentrates requirements needed
• Less fiber

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Nutritional Needs

• Lactation
• Most stressful nutritional period
• Exercised lactating mares need more energy
• Stallions
• Good quality hay and a little supplemented grain
  should be sufficient

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Colic

• Most devastating digestive disorders
• Abdominal pain caused by
• Pain is due to

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Managing Horses

• Breeding Season
• Fertility rates affected by
• Uterine infection
• Breeding mares too late in estrus
• Uterine damage caused by foaling

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Managing Horses

• Mating
• Mare
• Heat cycle is days, last 5-7 days
• Mare will only stand to be bred during a specific
  time of heat
• Teasing to bring into heat seasonal heat
• Gestation

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Managing Horses

• Stallions
• Used 2 times per day for 1-2 months
• AI stallions are generally collected every other
  day during breeding season

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Managing Horses

• Parturition
• Exercise mares up to foaling time
• Shown to decrease dystocia
• Foaling typically occurs in
• Presentation should be head and front feet first
• After delivery

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Weaning

• Keep the foal in the area it is accustomed to
• Box stall or a good fenced lot
• Before weaning foal needs to be accustomed to
• Water
• Feed

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Castration

• Colts not going to be used for breeding can be
  castrated at any time after the testicles have
  descended
• Castration and weaning should not be the same time

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Identification

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Working Horses

• After working, horses should be cooled down
  before given feed and water
• Horses may become colicky or founder if not
  cooled down
• Extra feed may be required for horses that expend
  more energy
• DO NOT OVERFEED
• Excess feed and lush pastures can cause a horse
  to founder

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Diseases

• Vaccinations are given to establish immunity
• Clinical signs

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• Chapter 34 Feeding and Managing Horses
• Understand how the nutritional status is
  different between the stages of a horses life.
• What can affect the breeding season?
• What care needs to be given after foaling?
• How should a producer manage a working horse?
• What should be done before feeding or watering?
• What is colic?
• How does a horses digestive system differ from a
  ruminant?